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Drawing Card
Under New Guidance Fleurune was quite an intriguing island. At least, that is what William Parker, Diamond Ace of the Monk Pirates, deemed it as. He walked across the black ground, heading towards a small tavern which went by the name of "Dreaming Crow", the fact that it was already night didn't help his vision. The island was claimed as one of Daikaku's territories, having been assigned with a certain Wild Card, and stood above three volcanos, which were active. The resulting ash from said volcanos reached high enough to mix in with the clouds, turning them darker and heavier, allowing for people and even large buildings to easily stay atop them. Thankfully, it never rained on the island, so, the inhabitants were safe from the toxins. Their purpose didn't stop there. Apparently, a special material of white color could be extracted from them and would be used for many constructs, it was called Fleurite. The material was mostly used for buildings, however, shining through the night and providing the necessary brightness so that no one spent any other resource. As a Commander of the Monks, Parker felt as if he had the job to check on the rest of the crew and make sure they all did a fine job. He had arrived a few hours ago, but, couldn't spend so much time. Fleurune had pyrobloin in its clouds, a composite of Seastone. Parker had donned his typical clothes, crossing both his arms behind his back as he walked. They were warm enough to keep the breeze from bothering him. Someone openned the tavern's door, they had black feathers in place of their arms and bird-like legs in place of human ones. It was a woman, she had black hair. These were all default characteristics of the inhabitants, Parker never pondered why. She held the door open for him, smiling, and he entered the building, nodding as thanks at her. The place was rowdy, and Parker could spot many Monk mooks amongst the drinkers and eaters. Parker stopped just a few inches after the entrance, closing it. He stood there in a position an Army General would stand at. "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUNACCEPTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Parker yelled, all of a sudden, with all of his might. It ressonated as a shockwave through the place, shaking everything and everyone, and through the rest of the region, alarming everyone in the island. One of the mooks, dressed casually, stood up while trembling. "Lord P-Parker!" Everyone else in the tavern stood quiet. "Aren't you all supposed to be working, surveyling?! Where is your Chief, the Wild Card who goes by the name of Arc D. Jacques, HMMMMMM?!" Parker's eyes were wide, as he shared a glance at all of the members present. "Don't tell me you are all picking on her, because she is new!!!" He fixed his glasses with his left hand. "In n-n-n-no way, Lord P-P-Parker." Another mook, carefully positioned behind a chair, fearing Parker's rage and ready to use it as a shield in case of need, adressed the commander. "In f-act, it's been t-t-t-two years since she g-g-g-gave us an order." His body trembled much like everyone else in the room. "I mean, it's been so peaceful for the last ten years that... she got bored and locked herself in the laboratory." "Hmmm, my apologies!" Parker touched his glasses with his left hand and turned around. "This is disgraceful, but, I'll take it upon myself to punish her, if she's been neglecting her duties this entire time!!!" He took a single step forward, arms crossing behind his back once again, and it made the pirates sigh. However, such sigh didn't go forgotten by Parker, who stopped immediately and continued to talk. "AAAAAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDDD- I can't forget your punishment..." A blue surge of energy surrounded Parker briefly and travelled through his legs and the ground, reaching and engulfing the other Pirates. "DO A THOUSAND SQUATS!!!" Parker openned his mouth widely and moved to leave the tavern. "N-N-N-No!- Not Yorkshire!" One of the mooks said, as the energy built around his body and made it desesperately want to move. This technique of Parker's worked by gently transferring his own kinetic energy to someone else, without them suffering any colateral damage. Seeing as they had no choice, all of the Pirates began to do squats and sweated heavily, shaking the foundation of the tavern. ---- It took him only a few time to reach said laboratory, Parker was already stepping in front of its door, as he banged his fist against it. "Wild Card." No response. He did it again. "Wild Card, Jacques!" The same happened. Parker had not much patience that day, so, he went ahead and smacked against the metal door, shaking the entire building with a shock. The shock was followed by the noise of shattering glass, hurried footsteps and a voice that screamed in terror. It was no longer after that that the immense metal door slightly opened, with a gap big enough to reveal the figure of a tall person, but not as tall as Parker, with distinct blue hair and a single eye opened, which emanated the same radiation that could be seen in the walls of the build. "OOOOI! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU A- Oh, hey Parker. Sup?" She was furious, but recognizing the man right in front of her made Jacques maintain her composure. She stared at him with a friendly smile for a second, just to push the door quickly, closing it again. "THERE'S NO ONE HER- Oh no, my tubes." Parker's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth. "Don't you go-" He acquired a casual pose and mimicked Jacques' expression. "Sup." Parker went back to his normal position as she continued to pretend she wasn't there. "What have you been doing, Card?! In these two years, we have received way less reports than we do from the other Wild Cards!!!" He crossed his arms behind his back. "Will I have to punish you with ten-thousand push-ups?!" He kicked the door open and stared inside. "We are preparing to take one of the Yonkos down!!! SENGOKU!" Parker began to walk towards Jacques, he had located her with his Kenbunshoku earlier, and, he could do it again. They were indeed organizing to take on another of the Yonkos, with the help of the two others, no less, not that Parker thought there wouldn't be backstabs. Once they encountered Sengoku and before he died, Parker would make him do a hundred-thousand abdominals, while laying over a large pot of hot tea. Parker wouldn't forgive him, but, first of all, he wouldn't forgive himself for having not made the Monks a better crew. All of a sudden, then, he began to do squats. "Now-" Squat, squat, squat. "TALK TO ME!" Squat, squat, squat. Jacques stood in a corner of the room watching the whole scene. She wasn't scared, but concerned that Parker would destroy all her beloved research of two years in two seconds. He was a freak. "You're a freak." She confirmed with words. If she had to do ten-thousand push-ups or the triple quantity just to make the man leave the island, she would do with pleasure. She held her right hand, unnaturally black, with a closed fist next to her heart. "Oh, Dear Lord. What I have done to you to deserve this?" She thought to herself, looking up into the sky just to face the ceiling instead of the paradise she imagined. "NO! IT'S NOT TIME FOR TH- what are you doing?" She saw Parker squatting with no apparent reason. Shocked but not surprised, she looked directly into his eyes with an expression of disapproval. "Stop doing squats... specially ON my arm." The ground Parker was stepping on was softer than the rest of the build. Despite its color being the same blackish tone found everywhere in the island, it was irregular and looked like some kind of goo; a goo formed after Jacques' left arm that seemed to have melt and covered the entire floor. On it there was intact test tubes that fell from the many tables and shelves found there after the shock caused by Parker's action and the slamming door. "What have you done? YOU HAVE SHAMED YOURSELF AWAY! I WANT REPORTS!" Parker hadn't indeed noticed the softness of the ground he jumped in. "Your arm-" He looked down, seeing how different from the rest of the place this specific spot was. Parker stopped and jump-rolled backwards, landing close to the large entrance. "Pardon me for that!" His legs and arms stood straight as he yelled. Parker turned to his right, and yet, continued to refer to Jacques. "Wild Card, as I said, this is an ethic day! I can't last here, due to the island's NATURE. You know that recently, we've been alegged to the other Yonkos to try and take down that bit- Pirate Sengoku, right?" Parker turned back at her, waiting for her to get all of her tubes and just resume their conversation. "And, aside from working on your laboratory- WHICH YOU HAVEN'T TOLD US ABOUT-" He coughed. "-Report what else you have." The goo on the ground started to move, sprouting thin tentacles that involved the tubes and carried them around the room, arranging and putting them on their proper places. Inside them, different types of substances with differents colors could be seen; liquids and solids, even gases, contrasting their rainbow spectrum with the boring white walls of Jacques' laboratory. "Sengoku... who's that?" Jacques thought, going deep into her memories, but she had no idea. Living for the past ten or more years in Fleurune cut all contact she had with the ocean below. And, to be honest, she never had any interest in the pirate life to begin with. With this in mind, she put her right hand on her chin, staring into space. "Why did I became a pirate in the first place? Who knows..." Her goo arm shrunk, flowing around until it turned into its original size and shape. She stopped right in front Parker, assuming a position of attention, talking to him as if she was adressing an exercit commander. "Fleurune is boring. No one ever comes here. I was bored and constructed this lab. That's all." She acted serious, but inside she was just making fun of him. Parker, surprisingly, only sighed at Jacques' expression, instantly answering it, as he had felt her doubts with his own Haki. "Sengoku is basically our enemy and one of the top pirates around." He knew she had indeed been solely operating on the island, but, she would play a role in their fight and plan. He, also, knew too well how it was to not have any motivation. No parents to look up or please, as far as he remembered. "Don't talk to him". No friends to talk to, being an orphan, Parker had been shoved away by other adults, deemed as a bad influence. He never cared much about it, his mind got busy with many things around that time, as he had to work and work whenever he felt hungry or thirsty. "Yer' wastin' my damn money in this, boy! How are you gonna' pay?!" Parker had been clumsy sometimes, so he wasn't the best at anything and that made his several Bosses ask for additional hours. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Some of them beat him up. "Do some lifts then, HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Some asked him to do silly things, and Parker did it... it was better than being beat up. Parker quickly shut away those thoughts, they were of no use now. He didn't need to punish himself for remembering them, however. As soon as he was done, Jacques came up to him and responded. His eyes widened at her honesty and his mouth dropped open. "YOU LITTLE SH-" "UNINDENTIFIED AIRSHIP HAS BEEN LOCATED" An alarm sounded off, making some screens flash red in the laboratory. Immediately after, views of outside the island were shown in them, many Airships with the Marine flag hovering close to it. The sudden burst of light and sounds surprised Jacques. It had been so long since the alarm rang that it took her a moment to realize what was going on. The Marine flag on the airships was the same as she remembered; from a time marked with war, death and blood. But it was no moment to dive into past memories. Despite her doubts in joining a crew and having to work with pirates, Jacques made a vow with her captain; she had to protect the island and, more importantly, the life of those she lived together for the most part of her life. "Parker, I'm going first to escort the citizens to a safe place. Prepare to fight." She left the room in a hurry. "Nuage, come." Her voice could be heard from afar, but it was loud enough to activate the dial present on her sword that was resting on one of the tables in the room. Its blade and handle, made of a special type of alloy, also present in Jacques' arms, molded itself in the shape of legs, chasing its owner through the corridors of the building and heading to the only city in Fleurune. Fight the Power "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Parker shook the surrounding area once again with his yell. In the mean time, he had run to catch up to Jacques, quickly touching her shoulder and absorbing her moving energy. "I ought to see- WILD CAAARD, no- J, how you will really deal with this situation." He stared at her figure and then looked to a window in the hall. "I can FEEEEEEL it, they are coming from all sides to the island... and are doing so through different methods. You are both an Scientist and Researcher, use that!- SHOW MEEEE IF YOU TRULY ARE DESERVING!" Parker spat some saliva as he shook his head. Using Kenbunshoku, Parker could feel auras throghout the entire region and measure their respective amounts. He turned to the window. "I'll engage the heavier ones... there will be Marines close to your destination. IF YOU DON'T WIN, YOU'LL BE DOING TEN-THOUSAND LIFTS, EVEN IF YOU'RE IN HELL!" Parker rolled into the air and burst out of the place, flying high in the air. Jacques stopped when Parker touched her shoulder. She had her back turned to him, and gently touched his hand when he started yelling at her. "You don't need to worry. I'm the Wild Card of this place, after all." Her sword catch up with her; she touched one of the legs and it changed its shape to its original bladed-form. "WE'LL BE FINE. I ASSURE YOU." She said, running once again as Parker flew away. ------- Not long after, Jacques reached the city; she had long legs and a slim body, allowing her to travel as fast as the wind. Fortunatelly, she arrived before the Marines. The quadricular white buildings made of Fleurite were intact and the citizens safely sheltered inside them. Her subordinates were all over the streets and, despite their lack of orders, followed the defensive protocol just fine. "Nicely done, but now we need to protect the citizens. Surround the city and activate the defense system. We cannot allow them to invade." She ordered, which they responded all together "YES, SIR!", echoing their words through the alleys. They had tanks on their backs that poured on the streets a clear substance as they moved to the borders of the city. Forming a circle around it with Jacques positioned on the most likely place that the Marines could arrive, she gazed into the horizon; she had her sword right in front of her, holding it against the floor with both hands. Jacques was indeed right. The Marines had arrived through the main street of the city and walked beside one another, making their footsteps ressonate through the entire town. A man, who was smaller than the average person, stood at the middle. This was Lildwun, a recently-prommoted Commodore of the Marines, who was also famous for his weapon techniques. With his right hand, he held a black-white stripped polearm, and, with his left, he held a short-sword which had three blades. "I knew it was being too easy, haha." Lildwun said, smiling as he saw Jacques. "Your outside forces need some polishing... um, my apologies, I don't know your name actually..." He openned a small notebook which had Monks imprinted on its cover, and closed it a few seconds later, having not found her profile. Shortly afterward, Lildwun bowed and all his soldiers halted. "I'm Lildwun! Brother to Bigdwun and Middwun, son of Greatdwun, grandson to Greaterdwun and descendant of Greatestdwun!!!" He rose his polearm and spun it, bending both his knees to get into his stance. "And we, the Marines, have come to conquer Fleurune Island from the hands of yours, Monk Pirates!" Jacques calmly watched the Marines approaching. They were bigger in numbers, but it was not something that made her and her subordinates scared. In the years that they worked together, a strong sense of union and confidence between them was developed. They were certain about their objectives and that their lifes were less important than the citizens of Fleurune; protecting the island was their lifes' objective. "You can call me J. There's no reason to know who I am..." Jacques answered Lildwun. She grabed the handle of her sword with her right hand, pointing its blade to the commodore's head. "... because you'll be dead if you take any more steps. Protect this place is my duty and I won't allow you to destroy the life and disturb the peace of those who live here." Jacques was madly serious. Her eyes carried the fury of someone who once lost everything and was not willing to experience the same feeling again. "J, huh?" Lildwun murmured, they really didn't have much information on this woman, or at least, the information is too scarce. The Marines don't know of any J joining the Monks. All the while, he plunged his three-headed dagger into the top of the polearm, shifting the both of them into a long-spear, the Dwunberd. "Unless..." Lildwun pondered for a second, but stopped shortly at Jacques' own words. "Good thing then! We don't want to destroy anything, we merely want to conquer this land for the HQ!" Not a single breath was drawn. Lildwun had crossed most of the distance between the groups, standing upside-down as his arms sustained him and his legs swung the Dwunberd horizontally and forward, generating a slash of pure air towards Jacques and her group. "South Wing!!!" It made it seem as if Lildwun's waist would snap at such abrupt movements, his limbs extending more than they should. As all of this happened, the Marines, who had stood beside Lildwun, all dashed towards the group of pirates, drawing their weapons. Some slashed, some thrusted, and some shot. All with enough precision that their attacks missed through their commodore, Lildwun, who dodged them all with incredible flexiveness. The liquid poured on the streets of the city activated its properties. The clear substance rose like a cake in the oven, becoming bigger as time passed, until it covered the entire city. It was just like a cloud, but clear like water. A unique substance created by Jacques herself; the Cloud Glass. In response to the commodore's attack, Jacques stuck her sword into the ground. The blade and handle changed its shape, taking the form of a wall that covered at least 5 meters from each side. It was thick enough to take the attack and some of the soldiers' bullets without scratches or breaking. "The city is safe!" Jacques shouted. "NOW, ATTACK!" Her subordinates broke their circle formation around the city and advanced against the enemy's forces, carrying shields, swords and guns. Jacques remained behind her shield. As soon as the mantle covered the city, Lildwun tried to secure his face, landing swiftly before the wall that Jacques had created. He quickly picked the sleeves of his marine coat and wrapped them around his mouth and nose. "What is... this?" Lildwun pondered briefly. All they, the Marines, knew about Fleurune were its special grounds. It's why they sought to reconquer it before the many others, they could use it, not that Lildwun liked the idea of chemical weapons. "Don't fall back, men!!!" Lildwun yelled at his companions, not even looking back at them. He grinned when he heard their battlecries and they clashed with the Pirates. His legs moved in weird angles, as if they had additional joints, and then, he jumped high in the air. Lildwun held the Dwunberd with one of his feet and aimed its blade downards, easily seeing Jacques behind her wall. With the usage of a single-legged Geppo, he instantly descended towards her figure, aiming to thrust-attack her. Despite his speed, however, instead of directly crashing into Jacques, Lildwun did something else. As he pushed the spear with his feet, his arms were wide opened abruptly. Due to it, Lildwun's gliding trajectory aimed higher and he passed straight above Jacques, instantly turning to look at her backside and swinging Dwunberd vertically. "NORTH WING!!!" It provoked a similar air attack to his previous one, this one being vertical instead. Even with the wall in her front, Jacques could see every person on the battlefield; not physically, but their auras clashing against each other in a sea of colors. Lildwun was no exception. In fact, the man stood out because of his intentions and strength. He would be the strongest in her sight, if it wasn't for the faint presence of Parker's aura that she could feel from afar. Jacques responded to the man's attack pressing her foot against the ground, moving her body to her right side in a quick movement. The slash clashed against the wall once again, dispersing. "You'll need more than that." She said with her back towards Lildwun, as she touched the wall, which took its sword form, grabbing it with her right hand. Lildwun smirked. This woman was strong, was supposedly in charge of the island... she had to be one of the Monk's Wild Cards. He observed at how Jacques defended against his attacks, she was simple with the use of her weapon, which somehow had incredible properties. Its aura felt similar to the vibe he got from the island itself, or maybe, it was from these strange clouds, which acted as the ground. The Wild Cards of the Monks basically protected a certain piece of territory, so, it wouldn't be feasible for this pirate to take advantage of the resources around her. This actually gave Lildwun an idea, one he supposed would work based on his judgement. Instead of advancing forward, as he was set to do so due to his vertical assault, Lildwun stood upside-down and still held the Dwunberd with his legs. Almost instantly, he swun himself around, quickly moving his hands against the ground, while his legs moved in a certain pattern, prompting the spear to spin with them. "Meridian WING!!!" Lildwun gritted his teeth, yelling with all his might as slashes began to be delivered from all directions and angles. All of them travelled horizontally, some going forward to meet against Jacques and her men, while others simply circled against Lildwun's figure. This attack, not only aimed for striking as much enemies as possible, but it also sought to create a tornado around the Marine. Based on the small thoughts he gathered, Lildwun supposed that a strong enough hurricane would be capable of disrupting the figure of the black wall and further leave Jacques' defenseless. Again, being put in a defense position, Jacques didn't see much field to explore with her capabilities. However, instead of solely defending herself, she decided to go offensive. As the man spinned, launching random attacks to all sides, Jacques tried to do a similar thing. Grabbing her sword, it molded itself into a two-bladed spear which Jacques held in front of her body with one hand. Her arm twisted various times until it couldn't twist further due to the pressure. She then released it, making the spear spin like a propeller, not only defending from Lildwun that came in her direction, but allowing her to approach him. "Moyen Étage: Stratus Lance!" She screamed, running in his direction. Even though her technique was effective to defend herself, some of Lildwun attacks managed to pass through her defenses and damage her companions. At this point, she could only hope that her men would be fine dealing with them. "OHO!" Lildwun mused admist his spinning, his voice not losing to the sounds of the tornado, while he continued to approach Jacques. With the wall out of the way and Jacques actually engaging directly against him, Lildwun's worries decreased, something which eased his mind. Instead of continuing to spin without a thought, sending attacks everywhere, Lildwun changed the basis of his strategy. Attacks without thought behind them, while clumsy, proved to be effective at times, they could both attack and defend, as proven by Lildwun's method. And even so, he proceeded with actually adding pattern to his slashes, as now they ripped through the air with even more intensity, making loud sounds which followed just after. They weren't meant to defend and block anymore, and were all intent on clashing directly against Lildwun's opponent, presumably having enough power behind them to overwhelm Jacques' spear. Between all of that noise and attacking, "Greenwich Wing" Lildwun muttered, violently spinning against Jacques herself in his full-attack mode. With the progressive aggressiveness of her opponent, Jacques couldn't bear to hurt herself in a direct clash. Instead of going against the human-tornado that came in her direction, she stopped for a moment. The lance spinning together with her arm pierced the ground with one of its heads, stopping immediatly, at the same time that its pole elongated, raising Jacques in the air. The lance shrunk, taking the size of an arrow. Still holding it, it started to move with the goo of Jacques' right arm. With a shaka sign, her fingers moved in opposite direction, forming an arc, connecting both tips with a thin goo-line; her arm just turned into a bow. Taking advantage of the momentum and her privilleged vision of the battlefield, she closed her right eye, leaving only her luminscent one open. "Élevé Étage: Stratus Seta" she said, before the perfect positioned arrow in her bow-arm moved with the string backwards and forward in an instant, launching itself against Lildwun. It all had happened too fast, and not all like Lildwun had predicted it to be at all, even if he had been fully concentrated in attacking. He had been so keen on her clashing directly against him, that he didn't consider the possibility of a long-ranged attack, since, she seemed to be using that makeshift weapon of her as melee ones. If only it were that simple... Lildwun tried to intensify his rotational speed, taking off his concentration from the patterned attacks and focusing on simply delivering as much blows as possible. And even then, that may have been just another mistake of his. In fact, even with his blows aiming at all sides, it didn't mean that they would be at all sides all the time. He couldn't even believe it, "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Lildwun screamed as the arrow pushed through the left side of his torso, drawing blood from his mouth and sending him flying down, with all the accumulated movement he had from his rotation. Lildwun smashed full force against the ground, provoking large noises and rumbling, "GOOOOOHAAAAAAAAAAH-" He howled once again. "SIR LIL!!!" Some Marines yelled, their eyes popping out at the sight. Nevertheless, they tried to not lose their focus at fighting Jacques' men, who had been weakened by Lildwun's previous attacks. Seeing her attack succesfully pierce through Lildwun's body, Jacques smiled. She started to fell as she had no means to go against the force of gravity and keep herself on the air, with her arm turning back to its original form by the moment that both her feets touched the ground. With the arrow, which was also her sword, partially inside the Marine's body, Jacques commanded it. "Nuage, restrain." At the same time, the arrow expanded like an octopus, with its tentacles envolving Lildwun's body; passing by his neck, arms, torso, legs and feet, circling around every possible joint, to negate any movement that the man could desire to do. "Command your men to stop, right now." She said to the Commodore. "If you plan to continue putting the life of this island's inhabitants in danger, I can't guarantee that you'll be leaving this place alive." Lildwun didn't even want to fanthom the prospect of simply losing to a pirate, had he truly neglected his weakness that much? Though, Lildwun would admit it this time, maybe he was afraid of losing to a pirate... and not just afraid of losing. He was okay with losing against another Marine, after all, competition between Marines just stirred more justice being done. If it was between friends, it was okay, right? Fuck the wounds, fuck the money, fuck the pride. He had lost count on how many Marines had surpassed him. And, it was because there were so many, that he was capable of not being bothered at all. If someone of the opposite... side... defeated you, however, it was written in stone to be certain death. Very few pirates or Marines, at least nowadays, sought to crush someone's dreams and simply imprison them. Lildwun thought the Monks to be no different, indeed, he was so lost in his thoughts he bore no mind at Jacques' weapon restraining him. Yet, here this Wild Card was giving him the chance to gather his men and go off. Arc D. Jacques, a name he would never forget. It was crazy, sometimes, people said nothing, meant nothing, yet, their actions expressed much than they could ever do. Lildwun knew how shun away Jacques was, to accept herself as a Wild Card and live... almost lonely in this island. Her aura told him. Maybe, just this once, he would not accept his loss, "Heeeeh..." And actually go on to become stronger, instead of laying around. "I suppose this is our loss, how odd." Lildwun beamed, despite the blood, and stared at the sky. "I will keep my part... and call my men out." He glared at Jacques, whistling at his men to stop, a common signal for them, "However... I have not come here alone, and I can't say my companion is as fine with this as I am, Arc D. Jacques." "But, Commodor-" "Accept this, we've lost!" Lildwun yelled back at the soldier, though he couldn't even stand up. Jacques sighed in relief. For a moment she thought that she would stain her artificial hands with more blood than necessary, but Lildwun was surprisingly an easy person to deal with. However, he was a Marine, and she couldn't just let him free with his men in the island, especially now that she knew about the presence of another High-Rank Marine roaming around her territory. She raised one of her hands, commanding her men to bring Lildwun's soldiers around him. "Sorry, but I just can't let you all go now. Nuage, come. And soldier..." Her sword responded by freeing Lildwun and coming to her right hand in its original shape while she adressed one of her own soldiers. "Spread the Cloud Glass around them.", which he quickly responded by pouring a liquid from the container on his back through a hose in a circle around the group. In no time the liquid rose like a fluffy, transparent cloud, covering Lildwun and his soldiers from all sides. "If I was you, I wouldn't touch it or otherwise you'll be all sliced to death." Jacques said with an unusual enthusiastic expression, a sign of love towards her own creation. "And now..." She turned her back to the group, gazing in the horizon with only her white eye opened. "Who is your companion and where I can find him or her, Lildwun?" She asked the Commodore while trying to search for Parker's aura or any different disturbance from afar, but with no success. "HAHAHAHA!" Lildwun closed his eyes, this wasn't unexpected at all. "Don't resist y'all, if you want to live, that is." He said calmly, not even bothering to move as he sat on the ground, surrounded by Jacques' whatever-that-was. "Thanks for the advice. Do as she says, men." Lildwun glared at Jacques, though his expression remained stoic. He blinked at her newest question, though, no laugh, "Bambina-san wanted to come here just for some fun..." Lildwun's words had no weight to himself, but his companions almost gasped at his nonchalance and were about to question him, "YES, that old man who goes on capturing sprees once in a while, the Death Hunter, Bambina!" They had forgotten that a figure such as Bambina was boarding the other ship. "Capturing people for fun? That's a weird hobby." Jacques thought. "Well, I don't know who or where he is, but I guess I'll have to find him anyway." She said aloud. "This island is not that big, so it should be easy." "Men, stay in position to respond to any threat that might put the city in danger. Defend the inhabitants' lifes at all costs, even if it means to put yours at stake." With an imperative tone, she gave her last order, which her soldiers loudly reacted with their voices "YES, SIR!" Jacques left the place in a hurry, leaving the safety of the city to her men. Whoever Bambina was, she already knew that he wouldn't be an easy person to deal with; Lildwun had warned her in antecipation. But she couldn't let him do whatever he wanted in her territory and, even though she tried to avoid it, certainly more blood would be spilled today. Running on the dark cloud streets of Fleurune, she hoped that Parker had already dealt with the situation. Monks, Not Olds At the borders of the Fleurune Island, stood what was supposed to be a Portuary Town, Nimron. Simple, white stone houses filled the area, though, not as numerous like in the main city. Some Monk rookies had already heard Jacques' orders, evacuating most of the city. However, now, the city served as the port for many Marine Airships, soldiers filling the place. As the soldiers looked around, one of them narrowed their eyes, "What is that...?" He pointed at a rolling object in mid-air, which soon collided against the ground they all stood on, leaving no time for screams. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" The same guy yelled as he flew away. A tall figure emerged from the impact, adjusting his glasses, "BAAAAAAAAD!!!" William Parker yelled, saliva flying at the marines laying around. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DODGE AN ATTACK AS SIMPLE AS THAT, YOU FOOLS!!!" His hand went up and down against his glasses. After several minutes, he had finally found where the Marines were stationed, roll-flying was making him dizzy. "Bahahahahaha!!!" An elderly man laughed with all his soul at the figure that approached. His chest was puffing outwards due to joy, causing his already imposing figure to take newer heights of ridiculousness for a man of his age. "You're very funny, Payback Parker!!" He yelled towards his opponent. They may have been on opposing sides, but this particular Marine was never against a laugh. Bambina, the Grandmaster, took a step forward. The imposing presence of Parker had no effect on him, and he instead took a battle-ready stance. "Haaaaaaaaaaah!" His battle-cry resounded, as he tensed up his muscles, hardening them like iron, before coating his arms in Busoshoku Haki, transforming them into a pitch-black. He bumped his two fists together with enormous strength, producing a screech of such intensity that even his opponent would feel the incoming shockwave. A sign of preparedness from the elder. "Hmmmmmmm!!!" Parker glanced at the origin of the old laughter, his eyes piercing through Bambina's own, to seemingly no effect. "Thank you, Grandmaster Bambina!" His lips curved down, despite the gratitude. An opponent worthy of the aura he felt back at the laboratory, Parker deemed this man before him as one of the Pirates' greatest enemies. At Bambina's fighting position and yell, Parker bent both his knees and slammed his feet shoulder-length apart, "HAAAAAAAAAAH AS WELL!" He yelled back, receiving the brunt of the shockwave... which had no success in making him budge out of his place. With but a single breath, part of the shockwave's power vanished into his being. Parker spat, "For daring to attack one of the Monk Pirates' steemed territories," He squated, generating small quaking through the place, "Grandmaster Bambina, your punishment is-" His legs pressed together and his arms crossed, finalizing the tremors, "-FIGHTING ME!!!" Parker's jaw went wide open as he opened his arms violently, sending a blue wave of energy forward, making part of the ground erupt as it went along. "Uwah!" Bambina exclaimed in shock, as he saw his attack be absorbed into Parker's being. "How fascinating!" He yelled in praise, pushing off the ground and dashing towards his opponent. He reached nigh-instantly, his figure bouncing across the shattered ground with minimal effort, and no further disruption to the environment, a true indication of his martial prowess. Reaching Parker's position, suddenly, Bambina's entire weight was anchored onto the ground, disrupting the flow of the shockwave that Parker was releasing. Furthermore, he tightened the muscles of his arms significantly, combined with his Busoshoku Haki, created a right arm of steel, thanks to the power of the Rokushiki technique, Tekkai. As opposed to disrupting his movement, Bambina instead snapped his arm forward by kicking his knee towards his right elbow, enhancing his flexibility through loosening his muscles and using Kami-e. The steel appendage flew at great speed towards Parker, intent on pummeling through him in a single strike. Parker's eyes widened at Bambina's velocity, it had been greater than he could expect, greater than most's he has fought. Bambina really was a master, Parker observed, noticing his usage of martial movements. Coating himself with his own Busoshoku, Parker ducked both his hands and waited for the blow to come, energy oozing out of his arms. "POW!!!" His mouth shaped into a large o'', as his eyes got bloodshot and his arms collided against Bambina's own attack, '"EXMOOR!"' This one focused on disrupting the balance between Parker and his Combatant, as Parker analyzed the force behind Bambina's attack and sent an according amount of energy. Black sparks flew between the both of them, sending everyone else flying and cracking the ground. The atmosphere itself seemed to get darker, and Parker pressed forth. "Hoooo!" Bambina's attack was perfectly repelled. As he expected from a Yonko's elite subordinate, a single attack was just not enough! Of course, even Bambina knew that a drawn out battle was difficult. He'd put everything he had into these clashes, and subsequently retreat when the time was right. Without delay, Bambina shuffled backwards a number of steps, in an attempt to recompose himself and prepare for Parker's next overwhelming attack. Feet pushing several times against the ground, Parker zig-zagged and provoked several gusts of wind, "WRONG!! YOU STEPPED BACK, THIS WAS PERFECT FOR A COUNTERATTACK!" Was this old man really the experienced instructor he has heard of? Despite his several flash steps, he made no movement to reach Bambina. The gusts of wind whistled through the entire place, going back and forth, but doing no harm to anyone, even to the marine soldiers. Parker cocked his right arm back in the meantime, teeth grit with violent intensity and eyes. The arm shone blue, energy radiating from it, and, before Parker would take another step, he smashed one foot against the ground, prompting a giant crack to paint its texture and the entirety of the atmosphere around him to burst offwards. Due to the abrupt way this happened, though, everything would find itself dragged towards Parker's figure, specially the wind. However, his eyes flashed, "'DAAAAAAAAAAAAARTMOOR!!!" Parker yelled and swung his right arm horizontally against the upcoming wave of wind, all of the gusts stopped dead in their tracks, almost if they had their own will. They didn't stand still for long. In the same second, a large boom came and the wind itself was bent, as it all burst off even more violently through all directions. "Bahahahaha!" Bambina was, surprisingly, laughing at the situation. But on the inside, he knew that this little scuffle had to end. Despite his own strength, Parker was just a cut above him, and he wasn't allowed to risk his life over a conflict like this. Freya would be incredibly sad if he fell. Coating himself in a dense layer of Busoshoku Haki, Bambina's skin was coated in a pitch black. Bambina began to brace his body for the impact with an "X" shape using his arms, as he clashed with the shockwave dead-on impact. It hurt, no doubt, but that did not matter to Bambina too much. He continued to press on with the collision until he felt the attack softening. "HRAAAH!" Bambina shouted, invigorating himself with energy for a final burst. He pushed away from the attack, and using its remaining momentum to his advantage. The elderly Marine jumped off the ground, and "stepped" on the dissipating shockwave through , momentarily staying still in the air. In the next instant, he shot forward like a bullet, with his right fist positioned to punch Parker's face. Or so the man would have thought for that instant. Hoping the feint caught him off guard, as Bambina was about to push the fist forward, the direction of his body changed, with his left leg pushing off the air and moving him to the right. "Rankyaku!" The older man shouted brazenly, as he kicked with his right leg to create a wave of air that sought to cut the Pirate. On first glance, the maneuver was simple, but there was a key difference. At the tail end of every one of Bambina's kicks was a swift spiral of the foot, transforming the wave of air into a helix that spiraled around the Ace of Diamonds, forming a tornado of air that sought to slash right through him. The Grandmaster was not at the end, however. This maneuver bought him a precious few moments of time, which he used with absolute care. Tensing the muscles in his hands to their absolute limits, they were then covered with a transparent aura of Busoshoku Haki. After he did so, he raised his arms outwards, with his fingers all facing forwards towards Parker attempting to escape the typhoon of Rankyaku Bambina had trapped him in. "SHIGAN!" Bambina released the tension from his fingers all at once, converting the built up energy into powerful bullets of air, coated with Busoshoku Haki, that would pierce through the tornado effortlessly, gathering the spiraling wind to further their power, and hopefully pierce directly through Parker and end this battle here. Panting, Bambina began to slowly move backwards, knowing that if this attack had failed, retreat would be his only option. "BRAVO!!" Parker clapped, mouth wide, and generated vibrations around himself, the height of these actions would give the old man a reward, not punishment. Even if the shockwave was taken head-on, Parker noted that Bambina simply chose to not take it continuously, his eyes widened when the Marine jumped forth at him, "GOOD MOVE- AAAAH!" It had been a feint, yet, a smile was what filled his expression. He had to respond this with something of equal value, something deemed as more than worthy by Bambina. Though, had he truly figured out Parker's powers that quickly? The tornado spun with such fierceness that the wind carried along with it pushed Parker from all sides, squishing him for some moments. The wind pressed him at one point and went along in a circle. Them being numerous was not a problem, what truly troubled him was how they were doing their pushing not at the same time as each other, because of the rotation generated by Bambina. Truly, Parker couldn't absorb all of them at that moment, but, that didn't mean he couldn't disperse them all at once. "Fuhaaaaaaaah," His smile almost ripped itself off his face and his eyes shone, Parker stuck his tongue out at the side of his mouth and rose his right hand into the air, it was coated in blue energy. Yet, in the next moment, Parker's teeth sank into his lips, something akin to a bullet smashed against the right side of his stomach, "A-AGAIN?!" He coughed out loud, feet cracking the ground as he was pushed back, a ring of air stood in front of him. Parker's eyes widened even more once another ring appeared, swallowing the first, since another bullet hit the first one's behind and pushed him even further. And then, another, and another, since they seemed to go through the tornado, all of them went into the same direction. Even then, even as Parker coughed blood, even as his fist was still high, his bloody smile didn't want to leave his face. His body was tensed up due to the many bullets, however, by letting his muscles loosen up a bit, they managed to pierce through, blood gushed out from both sides, and the bullet group went further out of the tornado. "GAAAAAAAAAAH!" With loud noises, they pierced through several houses and the rest of the island. It was at that very moment that his arm ripped the air apart through a vertical slice, fist slamming against the ground and making its energy sip into it. "'''EXMOOR!!" A flash engulfed the area he was in. Instantly, almost as if it had become another substance completely, a liquid, the ground budged offwards and took the wind along with it, the tornado gained the shape of a sphere for a single second. Much like a bubble, it disappeared with increased contact, going in all directions violently, while the ground beneath it had somehow acquired waves, although the first ones were cut up by the dispersing Rankyaku. These waves went offward as well, gaining height and mass along the way as if this was the sea itself, the buildings and grass rose along with them, while shadows were cast upon and they pushed upwards everyone they came across. A nearby mountain roared, part of its foot rising along with the waves and almost making its entirety tilt, though, with the unbalance, it broke off instead. Some of the buildings broke off their high ground too, the waves then quickly lost weight, making everything fall back to place and generating another pressured zone. Parker himself had stood in the middle of that all, cupping the large wound on his stomach, "A feint within a f-feint?!" He laughed out at Bambina, not clearly seeing any of the Marines due to the dust that was risen, blood dripped from his mouth. Blue energy sipped from his hand to the wound, making its borders painfully stretch and try to keep the blood from leaking anymore, "YOU PASS, YOU CERTAINLY PASS, THAT PAIN WAS AMAZING!" Recognitions "Baha...ha..." Bambina even struggled to laugh now. The energy he just used in that last attack had almost entirely drained him. And while he did land, what he felt to be, a sizable injury...the fact Parker even came out of that able to walk was what shocked him. "...This was fun, Payback Parker!" Bambina screamed with the last of his audible breath, before his entire being seemingly vanished from the area in the blink of an eye. Appearing on one of the still standing buildings, Bambina quickly began to pace towards the Marine vessel that landed here, in a bid to still save his life. Of course, if other reinforcements came in at the last moment, that would be amazing, but the Grandmaster was not one to rely on miracles. "Fuha... FUHAHAHAHA!" Parker tried in response, opening his arms wide, "What?!?!" A scream filled the surrounds at the sight of Bambina vanishing. His eyes instantly went red, trying to localize the Marine and instantly doing so, "Come back here!!!" Buckling up, Parker took to running within a second, breaking through a few houses. But then, he stopped, looking back at then, as much as they could just be reformed by Jacques, he couldn't just do that. Parker needed to take a big leap and catch up with Bambina, but, for that, he had to take an impulse and if that was done in the middle of the city, it would get destroyed. His head whipped towards the nearby mountain's direction, a grin etched into his expression, however, Parker stopped abruptly upon hearing a voice. "Hey Parker, sup? I've been searching for you for the last one hour. You really went far, huh?" Jacques came walking towards Parker from the city that he had just passed by. She carried a bag with food that looked and smelled like potatos, eating its content with one hand while holding the bag with the other. She was surprisingly calm; she acted like if nothing had ever happened in Fleurune. "What happened here?" She looked at the scene, with all the damage done to the area, quickly catching with her eyes the Marine vessel that had just left the ground to fly into the skies. "Eeeeeh... you let them escape?" Eyes going bloodshot, Parker shout, "THERE IT IS! THAT-" He imitated her pose, "Sup- AGAIN!" His saliva flew off, but, his demeanor soon changed, "I have fought a MARINE, however, he got away!" Looking at her for a second, Parker screamed again, "THIS CALLS FOR SQUATS!" Squat, squat, squat- "Ah," His wound opened, leaking blood shortly after. "He did some DAMAGE. I do wonder how much the seastone IN HERE affected me!" His fists rested by his hips, "BUT, what about you?" "Oh... oh... you let him escape." Jacques holded her laugh. For some reason, Parker letting a Marine get away seemed like a completely impossible scenario for her. "You're joking, right? Well, me and my soldiers managed to capture all the Marines that attacked the main city." She completed, before listening to his answer. "FUHAHAHAHA!" Parker's mouth widened suddenly, yet, he talked, "I'M NOT, YOU DARE ACCUSE ME!" He pointed towards her, "But, good, good. We should manage to DESTRO- TORTURE- INTERROGATE!!...These guys later." Joining his palms behind his back, Parker gestured for Jacques to follow him, his Haki telling him the Marines were already gone. However, with his next step, Parker's face found the ground, the island's seastone was beginning to affect him. "PREPOSTEROUS!! DO YOU DARE FACE MY WRATH, ISLAND?!" His muffled shouts filled the street. Even so, Parker figured that today hadn't been a counter-productive day, he got to stay out of his rustiness and the Wild Card, Jacques, proved herself deserving of her position. Category:Role-Plays